Antonio's - the quintessential Italian institution!

Some may have noticed, Gentle Reader, that your Humble Correspondent rarely reviews the grand dining institutions that grace this fair city. There be dragons there, I fear, because people have strong views about these culinary icons. There is also the worry that one might be institutionalized oneself, having crossed the stile of middle age and started down the steep slope of decrepitude. So I have always refrained from discussing Petit Point (still my favorite restaurant in Tokyo), Les Saisons, and others. But, as Lewis Carroll wrote in The Walrus and The Carpenter:

"The time has come," the Walrus said,"To talk of many things".

Antonio's is, verily, an institution having been in continuous operation in various locations around Japan for more than sixty (yes, 60!) years. The main branch, in Minami Aoyama, is redolent with that tradition and boasts many happy regulars (Japanese: 常連 jouren) who both sustain and celebrate the Cancemi heritage. Said Antonio (see this history) chose Japan to ply his trade after Italy's surrender in 1943, having happened to be here at the time. Over the years, Antonio built a burgeoning culinary empire and the family continues to be deeply involved in operations.

With the Child Bride engaged in trade nearby, it was obvious that I should remedy an omission of near 20 years by magnanimously offering to escort her to dinner ... hoping my lack of readies would be overlooked in her surprise at such an invitation. We were greeted by the fair Ms Cancemi - surely the grand-daughter or great-grand-daughter of the gallant Antonio - and whisked off to a table that allowed us to enjoy a view of the main dining room and its curios without seeming to intrude on the dining pleasures of other guests.

Your Humble Correspondent(s) dined sumptuously, although she had the temerity to order the Cotoletta Milanese despite the fact that I wanted it. Ever your ready servant, Gentle Reader, I am always loathe to order the same dish as another at table - so I suffered through a wonderfully delicious Cotoletta Parmesano with that sad pout and quivering lip that so endears me to dining companions. We had both tried some frighteningly fresh salad before this, toasting the occasion with some fine Italian beer served in chilled tall glasses before moving on to a luscious Soave Classico that - while a little over-priced - matched the strong flavors of the food to perfection.

Antonio's is a very, very good example of traditional Italian cuisine backed by a noble record of success over three generations - all of this in one of the most difficult "foodie" cities in the world. I, for one, will use it as the yardstick by which I shall measure other Italian venues in Tokyo. It deserves your respect, Gentle Reader, but it also deserves your custom. Too good to waste on flitsome corporate fly-by-nights, take friends and colleagues to Antonio's.

And cast an eye around for a portly gent obviously escaped from an institution. I shall, no doubt, wink knowingly!

Antonio's [Map]: 7-3-6 Minami Aoyama, Minato Ward. t: 03-3797-0388

Rating: Food: 8/10; Wine: 7/10; Service: 8/10; Antonio-ness: 7/10; Price: ($$) 7/10. Total: 37/50

Two Rooms, Aoyama

There are some restaurants, Gentle Reader, that one wants to like as soon as one walks in. Your Humble Correspondent really wants to like Two Rooms ... I really do. Opening in the froth and bubble of Spring 2009 in trendy Aoyama (one might better say Nishi Omotesando), Two Rooms is an eloquent idea that is most of the way towards realization. "Two Rooms" refers to the separate restaurant and bar areas, nicely separated by a stylish glass walkway.

Another reason I wanted to like it was that it was introduced to me by the Child Bride, who accompanied me on this visit with The Don and The Duchess. The ladies of Chicken & Chablis had terrorized Two Rooms just a week before, and they had come away announcing the dawn of a new star on the Tokyo dining scene. The Child Bride believes I have a set against any restaurant she likes - a shameful accusation with little substance but the cause of some friction.

And like it I did! Your Humble correspondent was deeply impressed with both the service and the decor - we visited only some three weeks after opening, and the ex-Hyatt team that own Two Rooms showed a wonderful sense of both presence and place, while running a pleasantly tight ship on the floor and in the kitchen.

One might churlishly wonder if a little can be done with fabric or plants to soften the angles and reduce the echo. The booth seats along the floor-to-ceiling windows might be a little too warm or cool depending on the season, and the balcony area cries out for a little greenery or a curiosity of some nature to match the design sense of the infinity pool and the wonderful views. One might also suggest there is a need to lower the noise level in the Bar with some soft furnishings or fabric room dressings if the proprietors intend to have some punters dine out there. But these are personal preferences, and perhaps your Humble Correspondent is a little old-fashioned when it comes to preferring to hear a dinner conversation.

The menu promises excellent seasonality, and I for one admire the tight concentration on regional produce. Somehow food tastes better if one can place it in a certain geographical framework, and Two Rooms excels at balancing local sourcing with imported ingredients. A little work needs to be done on the wine beef to bring it up to the standard of the other dishes - this might comfortably be achieved by perhaps slicing it a little thicker and letting the delicate grape seed flavors resonate through the cut.

Two Rooms has a serviceable and affordable wine list, although they failed us on the Stellenbosch - either another look needs to be had at cellar quantities, or this wine has proved so remarkably popular as to sell out in three weeks. Again, service is discreet and informed - a welcome relief to the worrying trend towards star sommeliers at some other venues.

We happened to bump into The Canuck during our visit - not so hard to achieve, as he was sitting at the next table. Allow me to leave the last word to him: Two Rooms gives all the impressions of a rising star. The fear is that in the turmoil of fine dining in Tokyo and the flaccid economic environment, it might become a shooting star. Here's hoping he's just a pessimist.

Visit Two Rooms (make sure you do!) with both colleagues and friends. And if you see a strange little boy holding forth on the delights of Meredith Goats Cheese, do send over a bottle of some bubbles like a good chap!

Two Rooms [Map on the website]: 5F AO Building, 3-11-7 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku. t: (03) 3498-0002; e: contact@tworooms.jp
Rating: Food: 7/10; Wine: 7/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price: 7/10. Total: 36/50

L'EMBELLIR - Perplexing Pleasure [Updated with Glenn's comment]

Deepest bowing and shrill embarrassment come with this missive, Gentle Reader. I have been engaged 'in trade', forced to cast my lot with those in the unmentionable corners of society as I adjust to "employment" as a fulltime lifestyle option. To be frank, I'm working. Oh, the shame!

However, much like Lord Lucan or Princess Margaret down on their luck, I can sometimes rely on the benevolence of friends to provide the briefest glimpse of what life used to be like before I was cast into penal servitude down in Yokohama. So it was that the Child Bride and I ventured to L'EMBELLIR (why must people shout?) at the kind invitation of the munificent Sir James and Lady Ina for a wine-makers dinner featuring Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges from Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair.

Young Master Liger-Belair is quite the new star of Nuits St-Georges, having burst onto the scene in 2002 and producing some spectacular wines that find their peak in the 2003, although I must admit to agreeing with Sir James that the 2005 is also quite toothsome with an interesting mineralization.

Chef Naoto Kishimoto opened this restaurant (which I believe is in the former Danish Embassy) in 2006, and was rewarded with a Michelin star in 2008 and 2009. There is no doubt he deserves this honour - the food is excellent, the service superb, the wine list thrilling, and the prices reasonable. This particular evening we had Galantine de gibiers Fondante d'Aubergine, Tarte Fine d'Anpo Kaki bien mur etc, Pied de porc farce de homard et Chevreuil saute au champignon, and Fraises et Fromage frais. Excellent, considering this was served a la russe to 40 diners at once.

Yet I retired from the table perplexed. I had dined here earlier with Charles and Nicole from super-trendy FivebyFifty in the week after the first Michelin star but had not posted. Why? Something is missing at L'Embellir, something almost spectral and ectoplasmic. Perhaps the ghosts of previous Danish ambassadors walk the halls, or even perhaps Danish princes.

For the life of me, Gentle Reader, I can not tell you what it is. But this restaurant somehow leaves you expecting more, but failing to deliver. Were this a more crass and tasteless blog, this would be the perfect place for some schoolboy sexual innuendo but your Humble Correspondent shall refrain. UPDATE: Glenn, who was also at the dinner, suggests that the room somehow lacks intimacy [See Comments] . I agree, and that could be it. Cuisine Classique served in a harsh post-modern Scandinavian room is pretty soulless.

I sincerely recommend you go to L'Embellir ... this is fine and elegant dining at its third-best, and I am sure you won't blame me if something is missing. But just in case, make sure you're dining on the company's sovereign and that you venture downstairs with ladies in the group. They'll love it. And maybe you can tell me what I'm missing.

L'EMBELLIR [Map]: 4-17-33 B1F Minami-Aoyama, Minato-Ku. t: 03-3423-0131
Rating: Food: 7; Wine: 7; Service: 7; Ambiance: 7; Price: 7 ($$). Total 35/50

Restaurant List

Cicada (Hmmm) Tags: Fusion, Azabu, 2 forks
Monna Lisa (Ebisu) Tags: French, Ebisu, 4 forks
Argent Tags: French, Meguro, 3 forks
Alladin Tags: French, Hiroo, 4 forks
Bon Monsieur Tags: French, Roppongi, 4 forks
Izakaya Vin Tags: Wine, Shibuya, 3 forks
Sucre Sale Tags: French, Araki-Cho, 3 forks
Esperia Tags: Italian, Azabu, 3 forks
Epice Kaneko Tags: French, Azabu, 3 forks
La pitchoulie de Lou lou Tags: Basque, Hiroo, 3 forks
Cheers Tags: French, Shibuya, 3 forks
L'Amphore Tags: French, Kyobashi, 3 forks
Osteria Nakamura Tags: Italian, Roppongi, 3 forks
Felicita Tags: Italian, Aoyama, 3 forks
Casita Tags: Fusion, Aoyama, 3 forks
Esperia (again) Tags Italian, Azabu, 3 forks
La Bisboccia Tags: Italian, Hiroo, 2 forks
French Kitchen Tags: French, Roppongi, 3 forks
Angolo Tags: Italian, Hiroo, 3 forks
Cicada (again) Tags: Fusion, Hiroo, 2 forks
La Taperia Tags: Spanish, Yotsuya, 3 forks
Hainan Jeefan Shokudo
Hiroo 148
Salt
45
Le Marche aux Puces
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Le Marche aux Puces (again)
Le garcon de la vigne
Benoit
A ta guele
New York Grill
Goutte d'or Achiano
De Longhi
Bistro de La Cite
Chez Matsuo
Incanto
Sin Tong Kee
Gordon Ramsay
A Presto
Delhi
Le Recamier
Chinese Cafe 8
Epanoui
Grape Gumbo
Azabu Haus
Les Vinum
La Chasse
Glass
Bon Pinard
Peter
Bolice
Trattoria Tornavento
Don Ciccio
Burdigala
L'Estasi
Coucagno
Yamada Chikara
Piatto Suzuki
La Lune
Chez Pierre
Le Bourguignon

Chez Pierre, avec Eric

Ever up for a challenge, Gentle Reader, I sallied forth on a recent evening to a wine tasting at Chez Pierre for a wine tasting organized by my friend Eric Dahler. We were to be treated to some wine not seen in Japan before - Chateau d'Estoubon from Vallée des Baux in Provence.

Truth be told, I had interviewed Chef Pierre Prigent a few days earlier for a new web site launching soon in Tokyo (stay tuned). The man is an amazing dynamo, and has such a passion for food and ingredients that your Humble Correspondent felt completely in awe of this icon of Tokyo fine dining.

Pierre has been in Japan for 40 years, and while he didn't open the first French restaurant in Japan (my guess is that Au Cheval Blanc can claim this honour, opening in Mita way back in the early Meiji era), he has been the father - nay, grandfather - of the genre almost ever since he first arrived.

The menu (for 28!) was elegant and underlines Pierre's preference for "la cuisine traditionnelle". We started with a very pleasant assortment of entree, of which the stand-out for me was the terrine de lapin. Oh, what a delight, Gentle Reader! If you respect only the courage that it takes to prepare this dish, I urge you to get along to Chez Pierre at the earliest opportunity.

Our fish dish was a saddle of monkfish, delicately wrapped in jambon, and cooked to firm perfection. The texture was superb, and the flavor sublime. On then to a saddle of lamb with herbs, which filled the mouth with complex hints of herbs, garlic, and sea salt that left this mere earthling making a mental note to return, avec diligence, with the Child Bride to Chez Pierre as soon as possible.

A note then on the wine - I do not profess to be any sort of authority on Provence wines, and the glasses did the wines no justice at all. At first I was taken somewhat aback by the brashness of Chateau d'Estoubon, and I was preparing to be harsh. But somehow, the wines seemed to grow on me - while I think that even the Cuvee will benefit from some time in the bottle, I'm tempted to purchase some from the cheerful M. Dahler and try them with the ingredients and cuisine of the Provence area. Somehow, I know I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Pierre's standard wine list is an adventure, with wonderful examples of all the great appellations without the outrageous prices charged by some. Pierre works hard to keep the wines under Y10,000 (there are some exceptions, but the mark-up is still only a mere 100%).

Repair to Chez Pierre with all speed accompanied by friends and foodies, but please note my rating below is "temporary" pending a return visit. My guess is we'll go to 4 forks. However, fear not - Pierre and his restaurant is definitely a Tokyo dining experience you don't want to miss. Look for the portly boy devouring wild boar in the corner, and I'll raise a glass!

Chez Pierre: 1-23-10 Minami Aoyama, Minato Ward. t/f: 03-3475-1400
Temporary Rating: Food: 8; Wine: 8; Service: 7; Ambiance: 9; Price: 7 ($$). Total 39/50

Bravo Bolice!

Most Italian restaurants in Tokyo focus on the better known regional cuisines - Tuscan, Venetian, Milanese and the like. Few, if any, understand or prepare Roman food. Enter Bolice, introduced to me by the erudite and urbane James Ashley. Funny, then, that Bolice doesn't seem to have a website ...

Italian food is done marvellously well here in Tokyo, and competition is tough. Bolice stands up to the broiling crowd, and shines likes a chic and comfortable beacon in Minami-Aoyama down at the tawdry end of Nisseki-dori where it abuts Roppongi-dori (Route 246). One senses a refuge as soon as one enters, and the gentle staff make the experience painless and pleasant all at the same time.

It was not difficult for James to convince me to take the o-makase option and we leapt into a Moretti beer (me) and a gin and tonic (James). See what I mean about urbanity? It must be something with these English people - at a bar with an English lordling recently, I found myself reduced to a quivering mass of masculine jelly when forced to order a Pimms for a fellow male.

Chef delighted us with a succession of pastas, with the gnocchi and the nero di seppia standing out. We chose a pleasant pinot nero to accompany the meal, but in a completely senior moment I neglected to take a note of the label. Fawning apologies, Gentle Reader, but you needs forgive your Humble Correspondent occasional slips of memory if you wish to continue on this food adventure here in Tokyo.

Our pork followed (it was for this that I had ordered the Pinot Nero). Oh dear ... this was sublime, light and "truffulent" (think truculent and truffle), with little in the way of vegetable matter to get in the way of two committed carnivores. There is much to be said, Gentle Reader, for the theory that Italians invented pigs although little in way of convincing evidence except their extraordinary facility in dealing with the meat of that blessed beast.

The dessert menu looked remarkably tempting, but seriously glycemic so we opted for a little cheese to put the remainder of our wine to rest.

Oh brave Bolice, oh bellisimo Bolice! Il cibo era buonissimo. I think I love you... Keep Bolice for very personal moments with little regard for the company. I shall be bringing the denizens of the Darkside here for our July baccanale, so if you see 16 glazed-eyed diners sitting inside it may be a good time to avoid Bolice. Otherwise, it's closed on Mondays.

Bolice [Map]: 7-10-9 Minami-Aoyama, Minami-Aoyama Rapp? (ラップ) Bldg. Tel: 03-6659-4924
Rating: Food: 7; Wine: 7; Service: 7; Ambience: 8; Price: 7 ($$). Total 36/50

They'll be seeing me again ... a presto!

It was at the recommendation of the Headhunter, Gentle Reader, that the Child Bride and I were scouring the back streets of Aoyama to find A Presto [map]. Sad to relate, but we did a "blocker" before I decided to call - to find myself standing outside the said establishment! "A presto" is Italian for "see you again", which sentiment I wholeheartedly support for this fine restaurant.

A table of 6, Chef Nobematsu was kind enough to seat us in the private dining room although I fear this may have been a furtive attempt at noise control. A Presto is an impressive venue, hidden from the madding crowds yet bright and cheery with knowledgeable and energetic staff.

The Headhunter had been gracing A Presto for years, so at his advice we all opted for the Cene A ('A' dinner) with 3 of us substituting a meat course for the fish. Ever accommodating, Chef was really very comfortable with this idea and added a "taster" version of the lamb at your Humble Correspondent's request.

Chef is very proud of his Bagna Cauda, and serves it with vegetables and home-made bread as an amuse to all his customers. Now I know why Michael Garabaldi attempted so valiantly to smuggle it aboard Babylon 5 - although I am not a huge fan of Anchovies, this is a delightfully inelegant way to start a meal that promotes conversation, friendship, and appetite.

The six appetizers, impressively plated, show Chef's skills off well and provide a sophisticated tour of campagne cooking that all builds towards the primo piatti pasta. Offered a choice between a Chicken in Cream Sauce or a slightly spicy Beef Tongue, our table decided to split the difference. Unfortunately, this prompted a lively discussion about which was best - a tie, we decided, and bordering on excellent!

We chose the 2002(?) Gavi "Filagnotti" as our white wine. The sommelier at A Presto is both accommodating and knowlegeable, and you would do well to follow her advice if you need help with the Italian and French wines on this excellent list. Our red, 1998(?) Brunello di Montalcino, was excellent (Note to self: Order this ASAP!).

There is no doubt in my mind that I "won" with the Satsuma-imo fed pork cutlet I had chosen as my main meal. Chef spends considerable time melding the Palma ham and pork fillet together before breading, and then turns it out crisp and golden from a double virgin olive oil bath. A touch of fresh lemon juice, and we're off to Royal Ascot! Oh, Gentle Reader, this is one of those "hold every morsel in the mouth as long as possible" dishes: it is simply a delight! I think I recall that others enjoyed their Sea-bass as well. Chef doubled up with the Lamb, and my bliss was complete. Among the best I've ever eaten, sweet yet flavoursome through to the bone.

Dessert was again a medley of Italian classics, with my favourites the Pumpkin Mousse and the Strawberry Sorbet.

Enjoy A Presto with friends and lovers, although I advise making a reservation well in advance.

Rating: Food: 8/10; Wine: 7/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Price ($$): 7/10. Total: 38/50
A Presto [map]: Kita-Aoyama 3-13-1, Minato-Ku. Tel: 03-5774-6216